Communication system and method for narrowcasting

Abstract

A communication system with client devices in communication with at least one communication network. User data stores are also in communication with the communications network and store user data of users using respective ones of the client devices. Offer data stores also in communication with the communications network store offers from merchants. A narrowcasting engine includes an active data gathering module to collect the user data, and an active learning module to generate a user profile based on the user data. The communication engine selects dynamically offers from the offer data store based on the profile, and communicates the selected offers in the offer data store to the users.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for narrowcasting, the method comprising:
 registering, by a server, an affiliated network having a plurality of members responsive to a registration from a user network, wherein the user network includes the affiliated network; 
 collecting, by the server, demographic information and preference data about the members from the affiliated network via the user network such that the demographic information is stored in a first set of flat files and the preference data is stored in a second set of flat files, wherein the demographic information and preference data are collected after the affiliated network is registered; 
 receiving, by the server, a request to register a first member of the members of the affiliated network after the demographic information and preference data are collected; 
 generating, by the server, questions about the first member during an enrollment process to refine the demographic information and the preference data about the first member as stored in the first set of flat files and the second set of flat files, wherein the questions are dynamically generated based on the demographic information and the preference data from the affiliated network as stored in the first set of flat files and the second set of flat files and responses to answered questions during the enrollment process, wherein the questions are generated after the request to register the first member is received; 
 segmenting, by the server, the first member into at least one segmentation cell based on the refined demographic information and the refined preference data provided by the affiliated network from the first set of flat files and the second set of flat files and the responses to answered questions during the enrollment process; 
 providing, by the server, access to a benefits website to the first member; 
 collecting, by the server, behavior data by tracking activities of the first member while accessing the benefits website, wherein the collecting behavior data by tracking activities of the first member while accessing the benefits website includes:
 presenting, by the server, a page of the benefits website to the first member, wherein the page is segmented into an offer area and a question area, wherein the offer area and the question area are positioned immediately adjacent to each other, wherein the page contains a plurality of offer contents inclusive of an offer content, at least one of the questions, and an input element corresponding to the at least one of the questions, wherein the offer area contains the offer contents inclusive of the offer content, wherein the question area contains the at least one of the questions and the input element corresponding to the at least one of the questions; 
 determining, by the server, that the first member has moved a cursor over the offer content presented in the offer area on the page based on tracking the cursor; 
 enlarging, by the server, the offer content in the offer area without blocking the question area or only within the offer area to present specific information in the offer area regarding the offer content while the server (1) tracks the offer content viewed by the first member in the offer area on the page based on tracking the cursor, (2) tracks how long the offer content is viewed by the first member in the offer area on the page via measuring time of the cursor hovering over the offer content in the offer area to view the specific information in the offer area based on tracking the cursor, and (3) tracks the input element being selected or deselected in the question area based on tracking the cursor; and 
 
 presenting, by the server, a set of offers determined most relevant to the first member based on the refined demographic information from the first set of flat files, the refined preference data from the second set of flat files, the at least one segmentation cell, and the behavior data as collected. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the preference data is generated, via the server, by presenting, via the server, a calendar interface and a selection interface to the first member, wherein the calendar interface contains a set of indicia for a past offer content from a merchant, wherein the selection interface allows the first member to designate the past offer content that the first member wishes to be reminded of in future offer content. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the server is configured to present an interface that includes a reminder feature that (1) notifies the first member of at least one of an up-coming offer content or a missed offer content and (2) asks whether the first member would like to receive a reminder regarding at least one of the up-coming offer content or an offer content that is similar to the missed offer content. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the interface presents an offer content on a calendar such that the first member can view the offer content at a glance, wherein the reminder feature is connected to the calendar to optimize an opportunity for the first member to interact with the server. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, by the server, a persona for the first member based on the demographic information and preference data provided by the affiliated network, the responses to answered questions during the enrollment process, the behavior data, and past purchase behavior. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the behavior data includes a request for future reminders of expired offers. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the behavioral data includes at least one of click-throughs, hovers, and search terms performed by the first member. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the questions asked during the enrollment process are presented as a preference game for obtaining additional preference data of the first member. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, by the server, a life-stage for the first member based on the demographic information and preference data provided by the affiliated network, the responses to answered questions during the enrollment process, the behavior data, and past purchase behavior, wherein the presenting is based on the life-stage. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing access to the benefits website to the first member comprises presenting to the first member a first set of offers stored in a merchant offers database determined most relevant to the first member based on the at least one segmentation cell of the first member. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the presenting the set of offers determined most relevant to the first member comprises presenting to the first member a second set of offers stored in a merchant offers database determined most relevant to the first member based on the refined demographic information and refined preference data and the behavior data.